


tell me now why everybody has to love you

by bensolosredemption



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Pining, but isn't that already a no brainer, he's so gone for rey, pining ben, rey is absolute sunshine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 08:54:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20832752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bensolosredemption/pseuds/bensolosredemption
Summary: After Poe introduced them at one of his numerous “dinner parties”—codeword for:come over to my place and we’ll gorge on endless pizza and beer while we all bitch about the current state of our meaningless twenty-something lives—Ben was sure he’d never see her again. He doesn’t usually cross paths with people like Rey. She is overwhelmingly optimistic, always smiling, laughing, and making small talk with the closest person to her. Ben likes to be hidden, crouching down in a corner, trying his best to make himself as small as possible. Two opposite sides of the spectrum, never a chance of touching.So when he saw her again at a local coffee shop on his commute to work and she shot a warm greeting his way, eyes crinkled with kindness and familiarity, he was gone for her.or, Ben's in love with his best friend, Rey.





	tell me now why everybody has to love you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a bit of inspiration to write this. It's an idea I've been thinking about for a while. I definitely plan to update this often because I have a central idea for this and where I want it to go. Also who doesn't love a pining, soft-for-Rey Ben? So if you're reading, thank you! Comments, kudos, and everything in between is appreciated!
> 
> The title is from the song "In This Time" by HAERTS. It felt very Reylo to me. :)

People dancing, sweaty bodies grinding against each other, drinks in hand, liquid sloshing over the rim. It’s everything Ben doesn’t like about nights out. He’s only here because Poe asked him to—it’s his birthday and what kind of friend would he be if he refused an invite? A bad one, apparently.

Taylor Swift blasts throughout the dancefloor and a group of girls collectively squeal—a group of girls that includes Rey. She’s well on her way to plastered, clearly enjoying herself and comfortable in a public setting such as this, something Ben could never relate to. That’s the thing about Rey. She adapts so well, easy to talk to, open-minded and caring. Everything Ben isn’t. 

And more importantly, everything Ben _wants_. 

She dances surrounded by her friends, shout-singing the lyrics to a song Ben can’t recall the name of, with a wide, toothy smile, lighting up the dimly lit bar. Soon enough, they’ll need to kick her out—she’s defeating the purpose of the mysteriously dark ambience, she’s too bright. Only desperate people should be allowed here, searching for one-night stands and vague connections. Rey isn’t desperate, she’s the opposite. 

Ben tries to pry his eyes away from her. With her, it’s difficult to look anywhere else. When he first arrived, he got a glimpse of tan legs in a short denim miniskirt along with a sliver of toned stomach peeking out from her frilly long-sleeved crop top. She laced her arms around his neck in a clumsy attempt to hug him, her cheek against his neck, and a muffled confession tickling his ear, “_I’m so glad to see you_.” It almost made the hot stickiness and blaring music of the bar bearable. 

He nurses his second beer of the night, trying his best to keep up the conversation with the bald-headed bartender. No offense to whatever his name is—is it Roger? He can’t remember—but Ben likes to be left alone when he’s drinking. He’s a lonely drunk, sulks and feels sorry for himself. It’s not always the best presence to be around. Before he can continue with his traitorous thoughts, Rey prances over, wobbling slightly on her high-heeled boots. Ben reaches out to steady her, a reflex he tries to steer away from but can’t always control especially when it comes to her. 

“Ben, what are you doing over here? Come dance with me!” She slurs, shouting over the loud dance track reverberating throughout the room.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ben chuckles—whether it’s at the idea of his bulky frame pretending to have rhythm or witnessing a sloppily drunk Rey trying her best to keep herself upright, he’s not sure. 

“Oh, whyyyyy?” She practically stamps her foot down like a petulant child then sweeps a tendril of hair behind her ear. She put it up into a bun halfway through the night, wanting to keep it out of her face after nonstop dancing, perspiration gathering on her neck. Ben’s tempted to wipe it away, wanting to touch the beads of sweat forming. That should be weird, right? Ben doesn’t know anymore. 

“I think you’ve had a bit too much to drink,” he says, taking the sugary-sweet cocktail in her hand. It’s something fruity and pink—the perfect drink for someone like her. Full of energy, life, and color. Ben just goes for plain beer, nothing unique or adventurous. It’s something that can get the job done, get him nice and drunk so he forgets every little detail. He differs from her so much, their drink of choice proves that even further. 

“You’re no fun,” she quips, watching him place her glass on the bar behind him, making no attempt to snatch it back. She gets sleepy when she drinks a lot—in no time she’ll be passed out in whoever’s car she decides will take her home. _Hopefully mine_, he thinks.

“I’m responsible.”

“Which means no fun,” she pouts, bottom lip poking out, begging to be kissed. Ben needs to stop letting those thoughts trickle in. Soon enough, he might actually act on them. 

“I know, I’m terrible,” he remarks, egging her on with sarcasm.

She rolls her eyes and puffs out a dramatic sigh. But Ben sees a glimmer of a smirk appear on her mouth, giving him all the hope he needs. This banter between them, Ben thrives on it. After Poe introduced them at one of his numerous “dinner parties”—codeword for: _come over to my place and we’ll gorge on endless pizza and beer while we all bitch about the current state of our meaningless twenty-something lives_—Ben was sure he’d never see her again. He doesn’t usually cross paths with people like Rey. She is overwhelmingly optimistic, always smiling, laughing, and making small talk with the closest person to her. Ben likes to be hidden, crouching down in a corner, trying his best to make himself as small as possible. Two opposite sides of the spectrum, never a chance of touching. So when he saw her again at a local coffee shop on his commute to work and she shot a warm greeting his way, eyes crinkled with kindness and familiarity, he was gone for her. 

Since then, his friendship with Rey has blossomed. He feels a sense of excitement when the prospect of seeing her becomes evident. It’s like a schoolboy crush that Ben won’t admit. He likes making her laugh, his sarcastic comments always bubbling a laugh out of her throat unexpectedly. If Ben could bottle up that sound, he would. Listen to it forever on repeat, set it as his ringtone, and play it while he prepares dinner for himself in the kitchen. But fantasies like those are meant to be kept secret. Luckily Ben’s good at that, pretending to be okay when really his heart is bursting at the seams.

“You should drink some water,” Ben tries to convince her, knowing she’ll object wholeheartedly.

“_You should drink some water_,” she childishly mimics him, eyes squinted in the process. 

“How old are you?”

“I am… 26, thank you very much. How old are you? Sixty?” She always uses his passion for responsibility against him. Apparently him wanting her to safely sober up makes him an old man despite their few-year age difference. 

“No, I’m just looking out for y—”

“Looking out for me. Yeah, I know. Whatever,” she interrupts him, sticking her tongue out. There it is, the playfulness that makes his heart leap and face feel warm. If he didn’t have that, he wouldn’t be able to read her—it’s like a hidden language between them.

A strand of her hair gets caught in her dangly earring, Ben lifts his hand to fix it but quickly halts himself when he hears someone yelling his name. 

“Benny, are you fucking drunk yet? Please tell me you are.” Poe is overzealous as always, alcohol radiating from his breath. 

“No, unfortunately I’m not. Would be much easier to tolerate you if I was.”

“You’re fucking hilarious, bro. Real funny,” Poe’s voice is doused in irony. “But also, it’s my birthday. You have to be nice to me and also, you have to be drunk.”

Dameron, ever the charming asshole, luring in any available woman that’ll give him the time of day. How Ben is friends with him is a mystery that will probably never be solved. But after years of an arm's-length friendship, Poe dug himself a spot in Ben’s life with no turning back. 

As of right now though, their bond might be broken. Poe’s just put his arm around Rey’s shoulder, pulling her close to his side, flush against one another like it’s the most natural thing. She doesn’t shy away, wrapping both her arms around his middle, cuddling him like the affectionate person she is. Poe presses a lighthearted peck to her sweaty head.

“Rey, sweetheart. Tell Ben to get wasted. He’s ruining my birthday.” He squeezes her a little tighter while Ben’s heart does the same, aching in his chest as he looks on. 

“I can’t tell him what to do. He’s a big boy.” 

“Ben will listen to anything you say. You wield so much power,” Poe replies. It’s meant to be a joke—_oh, Ben’s whipped for Rey, Ben will do anything for Rey, Ben follows Rey around like a little lost puppy dog_—but it was true. When it came to Rey, he became an utter softie. It was obvious that even their close-knit friend group noticed. All of them except for the only one that mattered—Rey. 

“That’s not true, shut up. He wouldn’t listen when I told him to watch _Grey’s Anatomy_,” she raises her eyebrows at him, inciting an argument that will most likely end up with her as the victor.

“I never said I wouldn’t watch it. Just don’t think it’s my kind of show.”

“And what’s your kind of show? World history documentaries?” She delivers her retort with such melodrama. “Boring. I’m gonna come over tomorrow and update your Netflix queue. I’m sure it’s so fucking sad.”

Ben tries to settle his heart rate after the mentioning of her coming over, leaving traces of herself all over his apartment, her smell overwhelming each surface. He’ll have to put away his laundry that’s been accumulating on his bedroom floor for the past week. Wait, why would he need to clean his bedroom?

_Slow down there, Ben._

“Yeah, you’ll have to enlighten me,” Ben attempts to sound as cool as possible. 

“I’m sure you’d like that,” he hears Poe mumble to himself. Ben had almost forgotten about his presence—Rey sucks him in and causes everything else to fall away. 

“What was that?” Rey questions Poe, her raised voice battling the increasingly loud music. 

“Nothing! Let’s go dance since this old man doesn’t wanna have fun.” Poe pulls Rey away to the dancefloor. She looks back, a coy smile donning her face, and Ben’s heart once again pounds like a drum. 

He eventually shifts his gaze somewhere else—to the men attempting their cheesy pickup lines to unsuspecting women then to the women enjoying a bachelorette party in the back booth surrounded by a plethora of cocktails. 

Ben’s demeanor didn’t mesh well with crowds here. He was quiet, broody, and constantly scowling—Rey claimed it was because he was secretly afraid. Afraid of interaction or closeness, a connection that could potentially break down his heavily guarded walls. 

And maybe she was right, like she always was, especially when it came to him. 

But she didn’t think about the one thing that could break him—she could do it with her strong determination, fierce independence, sunshine beauty, and sharp wit. Unfortunately, these were all things she shared with everyone she came across, not just him. That’s the thing about Rey—she makes everyone love her. Even hardened, distant, responsible Ben.  


_Especially_ Ben.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Twitter at @redeembensolo :)


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